Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate

Castlevania Mirror of Fate CoverThe Castlevania series has enjoyed years of success on handheld systems. The previous three games in the series on the DS were arguably some of the best in the entire series. However, a reboot of the franchise occurred on the consoles in 2010 with the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The new game retained the gothic setting and whip-based action, but replaced much of the mythos with a fresh take on the story and took a more hack-n-slash, God of War-like approach. While this may have reinvigorated the franchise on the consoles, it has absolutely no place on the handhelds. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate is a victim of itself, trying to blend the new style of Lords of Shadow with the “Metroidvania” gameplay the DS and GBA games have perfected, but instead falls short in almost every category.


It’s hard to feel anything but disappointment when playing Mirror of Fate. The DS and GBA Castlevania games were beacons of perfection in that genre. Hell, the game inspired half of the “Metroidvania” genre name! Mirror of Fate lacks the action/RPG focus the series is now known for. It’s also incredibly short, light on content, and short of variety. I recommend literally any other portable game before this one.

The game's protagonists Simon, Alucard, and Trevor, looking far cooler than they should.
The game’s protagonists Simon, Alucard, and Trevor, looking far cooler than they should.

Read my full review of the game at the Inside Gaming Daily blog!

Laters,
Jsick

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Danny_Noe

    Lotta: Colons: There

    1. jsicktheslick

      I have a theory: All the truly stellar Castlevania games have only one colon. Zero is alright, but more than one is just a recipe for disaster.

      1. Danny_Noe

        That’s a good theory, you should take that to the science.

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